


The crumpled shirt

by Wormcast



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wormcast/pseuds/Wormcast
Summary: Daryl messes up again.





	The crumpled shirt

The crumpled shirt 

“Daryl, Daryl”, Daryl lifted his head. “Come here there’s something I want to show you.”  
“Missus wants you!” said one of the men Daryl was supervising to fix the wall. The rest of them, a mixture of saviours that chose to stay and some hilltop residents, laughed.  
“Get on with it” barked Rosita, then she gave Daryl a warm smile and he returned it. Jesus pulled up short watching them.  
“Eh, can I borrow you for a minute?” Daryl groaned and headed over.  
“Yer, what?”  
“Come here please.” Jesus turned and walked towards his trailer, with Daryl following him, very aware of the laughter behind him. Spread out on the coach, Daryl used as a bed, was a purple silk shirt.  
“Found these ages ago but never bothered bringing them back, figure silk isn’t really a working fabric.” Daryl looked at the shirt. It was well made, far fancier then anything he’d ever owned. Jesus watched his face eagerly.  
“I thought you could wear it tonight at the party.” Jesus hesitated, “I’ve got something similar in cream.”  
“Why? Most people aren’t dressing up?”  
Jesus studied Daryl face, “Well most people have more than one set of clothes. You only have what you’re standing up in. So really whatever you choose would be dressing up.” Daryl shrugged,  
“This thing isn’t that big...”  
“I know, we’ve all lost things and a celebration of the end is just a chance to be thankful. It’s a good idea.” “ain’t thankful for shit.” Daryl huffed, he felt so angry, not at Jesus but he was there so he’d do.  
“I know” Jesus paused, “but I’ve, we’ve worked so hard Daryl, so many people have. We deserve a night to relax, to have fun.”  
“Yer whatever. Got to get back to that fence, some of us have important things to do.” Jesus nodded, trying to think of something to say.  
“Eh, so how’s Al doing?”  
“Fine he’s good with his hands.”  
Jesus smiled, “so I’ve heard”  
Rosita was organising the men when Daryl returned. Dwight was sitting on the picnic bench watching. Rosita looked up. “If yer not busy you could try to help, unless sitting in the sun is vital work?”  
Dwight tucked his shirt in and wandered over. “So Rosita, err..” She stood upright and looked Dwight over from head to toe.  
“You want to talk to me?” she sneered.  
Dwight raised his head and puffed out his chest. “You got a date tonight?” He ran his hand over his damaged face, pulling at his hair to hide his damaged face. Someone behind wolf whistled.  
“Yer she’s got a date.” Daryl stepped in and put his arm around her middle.”  
“Fuck off Dwight.” Snarled Rosita. Dwight slunk off, passing Jesus on the way, “seems like neither of us have a date.” Jesus watched Rosita laugh and gently push Daryl away. Hechanged direction and headed into Barrington house.  
As the party was about to start Jesus had not yet reappeared. Daryl looked everywhere for him, “look, never mind Daryl.” Said Rosita, “he’ll be at the party you’ll see him there.”  
Rosita clung onto Daryl’s arm for most of the evening, making a huge show of touching him; laughing at everything he said; brushing his hair out of his eyes; well she did when Dwight was around. She cooled quite a bit when his wasn’t. Daryl’s eyes darted around scanning the crowd for Jesus, but no sign of him as yet.  
“Maggie, Where’s the prick?”  
“Eh, not sure, he should be here somewhere.”  
“Look I’m going to check the trailer. Tell Rosita I’ll be right back.”  
The trailer was in darkness when he arrived, but Daryl checked anyway, even the bathroom, there something caught his eye. Peaking out of the wash basket was a cream silk shirt, crumpled up and discarded. Daryl picked it up and spread it out on the bed.  
Next he tried the gate, Jesus stood on watch with his back turned away. As Daryl climbed up, Jesus turned to acknowledged him.  
“Why you here?”  
“Oh, I’ve been at the party, but Kal wanted to be able to attend some so I’m doing the second half of his shift. He’s got his eyes on a girl from the kingdom and I’d hate to be a cock blocker”  
“Ain’t fair, you organised this and”  
“Don’t worry, I enjoyed doing it and anyway I’ve seen how well it’s going. Kal drew the short straw being on guard, so I’m happy to help.”  
Daryl turned to leave. “Daryl, I’m spending the rest of the night on Al’s couch, so the trailers is yours. Err, I hope you and Rosita are having a great time, and you don’t have to worry about bringing her back” Jesus turned around, going back on guard duty.  
Daryl studied his back. “Tonight was important to you and …”  
“Don’t worry Daryl, have fun”  
The evening at the party passed slowly. Rosita tried to get him to dance, got him drinks and stroked his arms. Daryl couldn’t deny that Rosita was a beautiful woman. The alcohol putting an extra glow in her cheeks and helping to loosen up Daryl. Eventually she led him away from the party, and towards his trailer.  
“Paul said he would leave it to us tonight” she sighed into Daryl’s neck. Kissing it slowly.  
“Eh, he told you?”  
“yer said to make use of it, privacy is hard to find with so many people here.” She pulled Daryl in, closing the door behind them. Daryl held her tight, kissing her deeply. He could do this, he’d done it before, and with woman he didn’t like half as much. He opened his eyes and spotted the shirt. “Shit, no he couldn’t, he didn’t want to. He wanted to sit with Paul on duty. Laughing at Kal making a fool of himself. Making him laugh with impossible pairings. He wanted to return to the trailer late and cold. Heating up some soup just to get the feeling back in their hands. Man, Paul was always cold; he must have been cold on watch. Maybe Al would make him a hot drink? He wanted to lie on the coach with his feet hanging over the armrest, chatting until one of them fell asleep. He wanted to watch Paul sleep.  
“I can’t, sorry Rosita, I just can’t” He stepped away. Rosita looked at him; called him something he imagined was quite unpleasant in Spanish and left. Slamming the door after her.  
Daryl sat on the bed. The night was late, Paul was probable asleep, and well he hoped he was asleep, maybe he was chatting to Al over a hot drink. Maybe Al was helping him get warm. Al was having the evening he should have had. Daryl ran his hand through his hair “Fuck this”  
Al had been put in the empty trailer on the other side of the old fence. They had extended the fence around it keeping the saviours that chose to stay safe but still a bit separate from the colony. Most of them had decided to return to the sanctuary but some had stayed, one had even moved inside to be with his girlfriend. Al had stayed, hanging around Jesus like a dog around a bitch on heat. “Fuck” Daryl picked up the pace.  
There was still a light on in Al’s trailer. Daryl hesitated by the door. “What if he interrupted something? What if they were…?” Pictures formed in his mind. Visions he’d been thinking about for weeks. Paul laughing, smiling, hands pushing Paul’s shirt up, but this time they weren’t his hands. Daryl blinked and knocked. “Paul I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Al said as his opened the door.  
“What the fuck you sorry about?” Daryl grabbed the front of Al’s shirt.  
“Eh, I ...Paul sent you?” Daryl stared him out.  
“Look I’m sorry; I stopped when Paul made it clear he wasn’t interested. I thought he was free, you know as you are with Rosita.” Al flinched as Daryl growled at him.  
“Where’d he go? When?”,  
“Bout 20 min ago. I don’t know where. When you see him, please say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I rushed him”  
Daryl stormed out. Where the fuck was the prick? Daryl did the circuit, not sign of him. He was running out of places to search. Only place left was Barrington house itself. Daryl walked in, he could hear the sounds of people moving about upstairs, but on the ground floor all was quite. Daryl moved from room to room. finally finding him in Gregory’s old office. The fire was almost out and Paul was sitting on the floor, with his back against the sofa, eating leftovers with a half empty bottle of wine. Daryl hesitated, rocking from one foot to the other. Jesus watched him, eventually raising the bottle, offering him a drink. Daryl sat down next to him, taking a swig from the bottle.  
“Al says he’s sorry.”  
Jesus looked at him, searching his face. Daryl looked at his hands, fidgeting.  
“Did you hurt him?” Daryl thought for a bit.  
“Nah, but if you want me to I will.” Jesus giggled, taking back the wine.


End file.
